Betoota in the big smoke
A humorous press club from satirical editors
❝You are the most important journalists in the country... — Clancy Overell
YOU can call the journalists of the Betoota Advocate many things, but one title they won’t accept is “fake news”.
In a hilarious evening presentation at the Charming Squire, editor-at-large Errol Parker and editor Clancy Overell explained life in a newsroom for a satirical paper that serves a community with a population of zero.
The Advocate shares mock stories, breaking “news” across Queensland.
Popular headlines include “Qld Premier Sniggers To Herself While Reading Out Yet Another Letter From Struggling Farmer” and “Hollywood Film About Dishevelled Man Stabbing People Aptly Titled Logan’’.
The pair were brought to Brisbane by the Rural Press Club and fronted a crowd of rural journalists and journalism students, wearing their Akubras and Errol wearing a tie, of course.
Clancy kicked off proceedings in stating the importance of rural reporting.
“You are the most important journalists in this country right now, and I say that because the Prime Minister had a meeting with us to target regional Queenslanders – that should give you an idea of how important you are,” he said.
“And if you travel a bit, and some of you do… you will hear other people ask ‘what the f*** is going on in Queensland?’. We have a former senator who is currently firing off some really hot memes right now.
“No one knows what is happening with Clive Palmer’s haikus – it could be a distraction. Bob Katter has probably called for an inland canal again.
“One thing he wants to do is crocodile safari hunting. That’s one of the things he has been talking about down
there, and we have the renaissance of a One Nation Party, so people are asking questions.”
He warned if rural reporters did not do their job, people would only get their news about “regional Australia from Waleed Aly, or the socialist at the ABC”.
Although the duo have embedded their larrikin humour across their reporting, the success of their online paper is no mean feat.
Many of their stories have gone viral – some before readers cottoned on the article is, in fact, a satire.
Last week they sat down
with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in an interview they streamed live to their Facebook audience.
During the interview Clancy asked if Mr Turnbull would describe Tony Abbott like Robbie Farah.
“... a great clubman, he’s been there for years, hasn’t done much else but he can’t get on with whoever’s in charge?”
Mr Turnbull responded that he couldn’t be tempted into that area. As well as an entertaining event, journalism students took the opportunity to network with rural reporters working in the industry.